The United Kingdom and the European Community, Vol.I: The rise and fall of a national strategy, 1945-1963

Book abstract:

The first volume in the government's 'Official History Series' dedicated to relations between the United Kingdom and the European Community, this book provides a detailed analysis of British EC policy as it evolved in the post-war years until the refusal of the UK's first application in 1963.

Commissioned by her Majesty's Government as an 'Official History', guidelines for the series on the United Kingdom's entry into the European Community were drawn up by a committee of the Privy Council. They concluded that such a work should include: a history of the evolution of British policy towards the European Community; a history of public opinion on that issue; and a history of the impact of the European Community on the daily life of British citizens.

In the face of such a task, the author and prominent commentator on EU affairs, Alan Milward, decided that a chronological approach would be most appropriate hence the first volume here only covers the period up until the refusal of the UK's first application in 1963. However, this approach has enabled the author to produce a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the British strategy, achieved through unrestricted access to all government records.

The book begins by examining the early British response to the ideas of European integration in the aftermath of World War II. Milward suggests that this response was not, as is traditionally argued, based on the belief that Britain would be able to preserve its great-power status but that it was part of a national strategy formed between 1945 and 1950 intended to effect Britain's transition to a middle-ranking power. The book goes onto examine the British response to the key developments in European integration during the 1950s: notably the Schuman Plan; the proposals for a European Defence Community and a European Political Community; the European Coal and Steel Community; the European Economic Community; Euratom and the Common Market.

The focus of the book then shifts on to Britain's application to join the EC, following the decision by the Macmillan government in 1961 to apply for membership. Over the course of the next two chapters, Milward examines the combination of factors that led to the change of approach and argues that Britain's decision to apply for EC membership was based on the need to preserve the UK's political and economic influence in the world, particularly the Commonwealth. Finally, Milward looks at the questions of sovereignty that arose from Britain's application to join to the EC and the causes and significance of the French President's veto.

The book provides a well-structured and thought-provoking analysis of Britain's early approach to European integration, which is unprecedented in its detail. It will provide a stimulating read not only for politics students and academics, but also for those British citizens interested in how the UK came to join the European Community.

Alan S. Milward is Professor Emeritus of the London School of Economics and Professor of Contemporary History at the European University Institute, Florence.